She also starred in a TV horror movie with a Backstreet Boy.

Also like many other actresses, Cuoco paid the bills with low-budget horror movies. One of them was "The Hollow," which aired on ABC Family and starred none other than Nick Carter. A few years later, she was in another low-budget horror movie — this time a parody — called "Killer Movie."

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She used to do a lot of voice work.

Brandy, left, and Mr. Whiskers, right.
Disney Channel

Cuoco lent her voice to Kirstee Tweevil in the animated "Bratz" TV series, a character in "Loonatics Unleashed," and the dog Brandy in Disney Channel's "Brandy & Mr. Whiskers."

Even after she started on "The Big Bang Theory," Cuoco stuck with the cult animated sitcom "6Teen" for a few seasons.

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She dated her "Big Bang" co-star, Johnny Galecki.

Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki in 2009.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images

The couple dated for a couple of years off-screen as well as on it, between 2008 and 2010. By all accounts, they kept it professional on set even when they broke it off.

"I know a lot of the work that paved the way for women happened before I was around ... I was never that feminist girl demanding equality, but maybe that's because I've never really faced inequality," she said.

In the same interview, Cuoco also talked about her marriage with tennis player Ryan Sweeting, which has since ended.

"I cook for Ryan five nights a week: It makes me feel like a housewife; I love that," Cuoco said. "I know it sounds old-fashioned, but I like the idea of women taking care of their men. I'm so in control of my work that I like coming home and serving him. My mom was like that, so I think it kind of rubbed off."

"Of course I'm a f---ing feminist," she said. "Look at me. I bleed feminism. I get equal pay to my male costars on a big show, I have my own home, I'm as independent as you could possibly be. Maybe I didn't understand the question, but for me that's feminism. I'm killing the game, man."

Her original "Big Bang Theory" salary was $60,000 per episode.

When she started on "The Big Bang Theory" in 2007, Cuoco made $60,000 per episode. It's nothing to sneeze at — in one week, she made more than the GDP per capita of the average person living in the United States.